Entrepreneur Aparna Gorrepati has made strides after rediscovering her passion for chocolate making
UPDATE – 11:08 PM, Monday – December 26 22
Hyderabad: They say there is no specific age to discover one’s passion and there is always an opportunity to rediscover your purpose and joy in life. Chocolate maker and entrepreneur Aparna Gorrepati is a living example of this. When she grows up, Aparna wants to be a doctor like the rest of her family. But fate has different arrangements for her. “I was supposed to choose between two universities to study medicine, but that didn’t happen and I ended up with a 21-year career in communications and leadership management,” she said.
After her son was born, Aparna took a break and spent a lot of time learning how to make chocolate. But what started as an expensive hobby turned out to be her true passion, according to her family. She then traveled the world, visiting places such as Belgium and the United States, and brought back knowledge related to chocolate making. She ended up at École Ducasse in France, one of the best culinary schools in the world.
Back in Hyderabad, she opened ZUCI, a cafe in Jubilee Hills with her husband Chaitanya Gorrepati, serving artisanal chocolates, desserts and mouth-watering food. Her passion for chocolate now has a name and a brand, and it soon became synonymous with the best chocolates and desserts in the city.
“Everyone loves chocolate. But it’s important to understand that if you don’t treat chocolate well, it won’t perform well,” she says, adding that knowing chocolate is key. Adding a new chapter to her passion, Aparna opens the doors to the brand new Bougainvillea, a two-story restaurant above the ZUCI that seats 230 guests.
“We knew that just offering chocolate and desserts wouldn’t work. With Bougainvillea and existing ZUCI, it’s now a complete package, a place where people can feel at home in every corner of the restaurant,” she said. From wanting to don a white doctor’s coat, to donning a white chef’s coat, and now expanding her footprint in the restaurant industry, Aparna is living a chocolate dream.
